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10 Photos of Afro-Latinas in Puerto Rico Rockin’ Glorious ‘Fros

When Valerie Moreno moved to Puerto Rico, she was surprised to see so many Afro-Latinxs on the island.

“I didn’t know there were as many Black Latinos and as much diversity as there is,” Moreno, a Canadian photographer of Salvadoran descent, told The Huffington Post. “Why? Partly because of my ignorance but also because every Puerto Rican I saw in movies and pop culture looked very much like J. Lo ― culturally homogeneous.”

Hoping to expand the representation of Puerto Ricans, Moreno started Afros in San Juan, an Instagram dedicated to photographing Black women with afro-textured hair in all their glory across Puerto Rico's capital.

The lighter-skinned salvadoreña said she wants to use her privilege to benefit Afro-Puerto Ricans. “I simply want to document the people I’ve seen around me and their words, so that when people look back at this generation and our contributions, they remember some of the beautiful, real faces that were here at this point in time. Because, why should a Black person be a hidden figure in their own country?”

Click through some of Moreno’s photos below to witness Black Bori beauty for yourself.